Marvin Ellison, executive vice president of US stores for Home Depot, spoke with Knowledge@Emory on the retailer’s plan for success as shoppers shift spending habits and value perceptions.
Ellison, who is responsible for directing sales efforts, acknowledges that the biggest challenge retailers are facing right now is, “finding a way to adjust to the customer’s buying patters and to adjust to the natural trend of people spending less.” The article goes on to focus on the value of the retail experience and equipping sales personnel with the tools to deliver a stand out experience.
Ellison says, “You’re not going to improve staffing on Monday and improve your financial results on Tuesday. But it’s something that you have to be committed to.” Many times we’ve discussed the question of whether or not current spending habits will be sustained after the economy recovers. It seems retailers are understanding that while the question is not easily answered, only positive results can come from investing in the store experience and maximizing each shopper interaction no matter what happens.
